Reply to: Cafe shop working

[vwdan]

Thought I'd continue the blog. Went to a Village Hotel VWorks today - their new co working thing.

Ehhhh - it was okay, but I won't go back. For a start it was insanely quiet, there was only one other guy which for me rather defeated the purpose of being somewhere with a bit of energy and buzz. At one point I honestly considered moving outside to the lobby/Starbucks. I realise that's somewhat self-fulfilling, but just the nature of it and layout (pods primarily) felt more library than "co-working". Nothing like the likes of WeWork etc.

To be fair, it'd fit the bill if your issue was the opposite - i.e., needing somewhere to concentrate rather than working in the kitchen in a house full of kids or whatever.

Free coffee was crap, too. Chairs and everything were nice, and I'd say it was reasonable for ~£100pcm, just not for me.

[vwdan]

I have lunch at the local Costa but wonder how others can work from there. Not the environment, more the restriction of a single 15 or 17" screen.

My laptop is 17" - I admit having mulit-monitors at home is a nice bonus, but outside of COVID I spent half of my life on the road working in offices and hotels with just my laptop. Sometimes you can nick a monitor, but not always. So in that sense, it makes no odds to me, just the consultant lifestyle! Wrote a whole piece of commercial software sat in a Premier Inn with my laptop.

That said, if I go the coworking space route I'm very tempted to pick up a portable monitor

[unixman]

I have lunch at the local Costa but wonder how others can work from there. Not the environment, more the restriction of a single 15 or 17" screen.

[vwdan]

Having used a few coworking places, the following are all pretty good and all will (or they did, in the before time) allow you to work from their premises on a more ad hoc basis without demanding a subscription:

Bristol - Square Works - Creative Office Space in Bristol | Square Works

Manchester - Shared Workspace and Meeting Rooms in Manchester | Workplace (although I didn't like their coffee)

Glasgow - Clockwise - Flexible Office Space Day Pass

Cheers LM - unfortunately I'm in the sticks so options are few and far between, and I really don't want to invent my own commute Might help some others though

Will certainly do some more digging

[ladymuck]

Having used a few coworking places, the following are all pretty good and all will (or they did, in the before time) allow you to work from their premises on a more ad hoc basis without demanding a subscription:

Bristol - Square Works - Creative Office Space in Bristol | Square Works

Manchester - Shared Workspace and Meeting Rooms in Manchester | Workplace (although I didn't like their coffee)

Glasgow - Clockwise - Flexible Office Space Day Pass

[vwdan]

Cheers all! Accounting agrees with the overall approach/view here. Obviously, there's always a risk that HMRC choose to disallow in the event of an investigation but I'm pretty happy to justify that working in Costa occasionally is good for productivity and therefore good for business!

Just as an aside, I've also got a trial set up for the Village Hotel Co-Working space. It's £100pcm which is very reasonable, but I don't know if I really want to commit. Will see what it's like anyway.

[ladymuck]

There was a company here in that London who were trying to encourage people to use their restaurants to work from during the day. For £20 you would get a table in a nice space, use of their wifi and unlimited tea/coffee. It was set up with with the idea that you'd stick with the venue for lunch but there was no obligation to do so. It never quite got off the ground and sadly CV19 put the final nail in the coffin. I thought it was a great scheme even though I never got around to using it - the locations weren't quite convenient enough and I'm always wary of dodgy coffee.

[Lance]

I believe this may be the answer to the question.
You pay for office space, and get invoiced for office space.

Desk Dog - BrewDog

[eek]

And the receipts, obvs.

Sorry I should have been clear - All the receipts including the ones towards the end of the month when you went over £xxx so you didn't claim them, just in case.

[cojak]

I suspect this is one of those things where it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than asking outright.

So identify the cost of a local rent a desk service (around here it's £200) a month and expense any drinks up to the that amount and then stop.

And yes HMRC can come calling but at least you would have an argument to use.

And the receipts, obvs.

[eek]

I suspect this is one of those things where it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than asking outright.

So identify the cost of a local rent a desk service (around here it's £200) a month and expense any drinks up to the that amount and then stop.

And yes HMRC can come calling but at least you would have an argument to use.

[caffeine man]

I didn't think you could claim for food local to your home office. I always thought it had to be part of a trip e.g at least far enough to look like a trip to see a customer. I would have thought anything less than 20 miles or so would look like a social visit. Well I guess your accountant knows best.

[northernladuk]

Oh. I thought you were thinking of getting a job in a cafe and were looking for tips about how to avoid getting your bum groped by the local letch.

Then I saw this was in professional, soz.

But if you do know could you pm me the details please.

[northernladuk]

I've been working out of my local cafe/pub and cost for the last three weeks and am loving it. Concentration levels were through the floor at home. Being out I have a reason to dress smart, no distractions and the odd engagement with another human being.

I don't expense anything. Its my choice to be there so don't bother.

If you want to expense it then expense it. No one is going to bat an eye lid at those amounts with this going on even if there was an issue about the legitimacy of it.

[caffeine man]

I hear some pubs chains are selling themselves as local offices, with coffee and other food deals. Not interested myself, but something you could look in to. Heard this on the radio.